site.bta Deputy PM Kuneva: Bulgaria Stands to Win from Good Development of TTIP

Deputy PM Kuneva: Bulgaria Stands to Win from Good Development of TTIP

Sofia, May 13 (BTA) - Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva said
Bulgaria stands to win from a good development of the
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). She
participated in a discussion entitled "A Fresh Start for TTIP"
organized by the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee and the
European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

Kuneva said this conclusion was backed by all the information
available to the experts and the political leadership of the
Economy Ministry. There are comprehensive projections concerning
 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the opportunities
 which will open up to Bulgaria's industry. 

She said there was no cause for concern about GMO or shale gas,
which she called topics that are easy to throw to the public,
although this is not the essence of TTIP. It has three pillars,
one of which is consumers and consumer protection.

Kuneva expressed a hope that TTIP would be an extremely good
trade agreement. The point is to know "if we want it and in what
 time frame" and to prepare the Bulgarian economy.

Economy Minister Bozhidar Loukarski noted that Bulgaria is aware
 of the difficulties linked to negotiating such a large-scale
agreement. "We have participated in the process on an equal
footing with the other Member States and will not have clauses
that we find unacceptable imposed on us," he said.

Bulgaria expects its businesses and citizens to reap many
benefits from the agreement, which will considerably expand
trade opportunities. The opening of the country's economy to
outside competition is expected to have a positive effect on
sectoral competitiveness and the labour market. Foreign
investments are also expected to increase.

Bulgarian products traditionally meet with a good reception and
are competitive in the US market, said Loukarski. The lack of
tariff and non-tariff trade barriers should boost export.
Loukarski added that 87 per cent of Bulgarian exporters to the
United States are SMEs. Their internationalization and
involvement in transatlantic trade are a priority.

Josef Janning, Senior Policy Fellow at ECFR, said the intention
is to bring the two most developed markets closer together.
Janning said TTIP is not an isolated case: it is part of the
EU's strategic efforts to connect with its main competitors. He
admitted that some countries will derive more benefits than
others.

Socialist MP Kristian Vigenin urged the Bulgarian government to
commission an analysis of the consequences which TTIP will have
for Bulgaria. Economy Minister Bozhidar Loukarski approved of
the idea, but noted that the analysis should be preceded by as
much discussion as possible.

Ataka party leader Volen Siderov said: "What we heard was sheer
propaganda, not facts or the essence of these agreements."
Discussing the settlement of disputes between investors and
governments, Siderov said that European governments have already
 paid huge amounts of money to investors who have sued them for
damages. "Our work as MPs will become meaningless because we
will be powerless in the face of the so-called investors," he
warned.

Andrey Kovatchev MEP said this instrument by no means requires
national parliaments to change their legislation. Kovatchev said
 the debate should be based on the truth and on written text,
not on populism or an urge to take advantage of public fears.


Socialists Urge Government to Conduct Large-scale Analysis on
TTIP's Consequences

The Bulgarian Government must conduct a large-scale analysis on
 the consequences for Bulgaria from the possible signing of the
TTIP between the EU and the United States, Kristian Vigenin said
 in BTA's Press Club during a Wednesday forum, organized by the
Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Bulgarian Solidarity 
Association.

The TTIP negotiations between the EU and the US started in July
 of 2013, Vigenin recalled. According to him, the document is 
intended to be the most comprehensive free trade agreement so 
far, which will ensure a progressive and reciprocal 
liberalization of trade with goods and services, will further 
develop trade and investment rules and will emphasize the 
lifting of unnecessary regulatory obstacles.

Vigenin said, however, that signing the agreement the way it is
 proposed hides risks for Member States, because it would allow
 US imports of products containing genetically modified
organisms  and lower phytosanitary standards. The potential
allowing of  shale gas extraction also causes concern among the
Bulgarian  public, as it would lead to contaminating this
country's  drinking water. It is no coincidence that the
European  Parliament has taken the initiative regarding how this
 agreement  should look like, Vigenin noted. He explained that
after it is  adopted, the document will have to be ratified by
the Member  States and this is why Bulgarian MPs must follow in
detail the  work on this agreement.

Georgi Bozhinov of the Bulgarian Socialist Party noted that his
 Party's National Council had adopted a position regarding the 
agreement already on November 7, 2014. It states that a firm 
commitment on the part of EU Member States is needed for 
sustainable development in its economic, social and 
environmental aspects according to the legislative developments
 of the EU and its Member States. Bozhinov recalled that
citizens  from over 400 EU cities have voiced their concerns
about the  signing of such an agreement through protests.